A ship has become stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

According to Leth Shipping Agency, the ship is the Xin Hai Tong 23, a 189m-long bulk carrier that was built in 2010 and is sailing under the flag of Hong Kong.

The agency said that tugboats are trying to re-float it and at least four other vessels are stuck behind it.

The Suez Canal runs between Port Said (Būr Sa’īd) on the Mediterranean Sea, and Suez (al-Suways) on the Red Sea.

It is just 200m wide at its narrowest point – a feature that has caused problems for ships before.

In 2021, the Ever Given became stuck for six days when it hit the bank of a single-lane stretch of the canal about 3.7 miles north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez.

The ship had been on its way to the Dutch port of Rotterdam and its grounding caused chaos for the shipping industry, which was already under pressure from COVID-19-related supply chain problems.

Anti-Putin paramilitary group says there will be more incursions into Russia

Tina Turner: The trauma and triumph of a music legend

Doing the Nutbush: One country’s strange love affair with Tina Turner

At one point it was estimated by Lloyd’s List that the stranded container vessel was holding up $400m an hour in trade.

The shipping data and news company valued the canal’s westbound traffic at roughly $5.1bn a day and eastbound traffic at around $4.5bn a day.

Approximately 12% of the world’s trade moves through the Suez, with energy exports making up between 5 and 10% of this, and the remainder largely consumer products.

Related posts:

Indonesian navy submarine with 53 on board goes missing off coast of Bali Image appears to show Princess Latifa of Dubai alive in mall in UAE At least 20 runners die as extreme weather hits cross-country mountain race Cable car falls on Italian mountain, killing at least five people British twin sisters attacked by crocodile while swimming in lagoon in Mexico La Palma volcano lava that could create clouds of toxic gas now within 800m of ocean Why is there a fishing row in the Channel between the UK and France? World Cups, Winter Olympics and the rise of Raducanu: 2022’s sporting predictions Russian soldiers accused of carrying out ‘genocide’ in Ukrainian town of Bucha Hundreds of prisoners escape Ecuador jail after gang fight leaves 43 dead Senior Taliban leader hits out at Harry over ’25 kills’ Trump attacks rape accuser as ‘fake woman’ and says he will ‘probably’ attend trial